


First Snow

by sartiebodyshots



Series: December Prompts [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 12:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8713906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sartiebodyshots/pseuds/sartiebodyshots
Summary: Their first winter in Kirkwall, Hawke takes Carver out of the city to watch the snow fall.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a December prompts challenge! Happy Holidays!

Working for Meeran is about as tiring as one would expect.  He’s a hard man and not one to take failure lightly, as Carver learns when he botches an ambush by jumping forward too soon, letting the target get away.  Meeran punishes him by putting him on scut detail- running messages back and forth between various parts of the Red Iron Mercenaries without seeing any action.  

Hawke knows it has her brother down in the dumps.  Every time he comes in from the cold, he grumbles about how Hawke is getting to do exciting work, while he’s just carrying letters.  He asks Hawke about the work she’s doing, mostly just so he can bemoan not being able to help.

She doesn’t mention that Meeran’s first instinct was to break Carver’s arm to show him the punishment for screwing up.  Hawke managed to talk him down from that, at least.

Still, Hawke is responsible for her brother’s happiness, and she knows that part of his upset is because this is the first winter without Bethany.  It’s hurting them all, and, well, Carver is prone to lashing out when he’s hurt.

“Come on,” Hawke prods Carver awake one of the few mornings when neither of them have work to do.  “Wake up.”

“Leave me alone,” Carver says.

Hawke blows icy cold air into his ear and he jumps awake, shoving her away. 

“Unfair!” Carver complains.

“Get your clothes on.  We’re going out,” Hawke says.  

Carver grumbles, but does as Hawke bids.  “Now what?”

“Come on,” Hawke says, leading Carver outside.

She leads him through the streets of Lowtown, out to the gates and then out of the city.  The snow has been falling all day, leaving the the ground covered in muted beauty.  There are a few track here and there, but it’s mostly unmarred beauty.  

Winter was always Father’s favorite season.  He’d take them all out in the first snow to play or to go sledding.  There was something about the snow that was peaceful.  It quieted all the sounds of the tiny villages they lived in and kept the local people inside, which made her feel more comfortable.

Hawke feels like she should say something profound, but she doesn’t have any words.  Nothing really could be sufficient anyway.  

After standing together in silent understanding for a while, Carver pushes her into a nearby snowdrift.  The sudden bursts of coldness makes Hawke give an undisciplined squeal and glare up at her  _ irritating _ younger brother.

“You better watch out, Squirt,” Carver says with a laugh.  “I’m going to get you!”

“You wish!”  Hawke pulls him forward with a tug of magic so he lands beside her.  

“Always a cheater,” Carver complains as he throws snow in her face.

They play together like they did when they were children, throwing snow and shoving each other into the snow.  There’s a desperate kind of happiness to it; lately, things have been painful and the relationship between them has always been so fraught. 

It was easier with Bethany between them.  She and Hawke had been bonded by magic.  Carver and Bethany had been bonded by their shared birth.  There was no such natural bond between her and Carver except Bethany, and so she eased their relationship.  Without her, they’re constantly butting heads.    

But for just an hour, they’re two siblings with snow in their hair.


End file.
